


Bond Book Food Meta

by Castillon02



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond - Ian Fleming
Genre: English country house breakfast, Gen, Vesper martini, half an avocado pear with a little french dressing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 19:11:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15201518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castillon02/pseuds/Castillon02
Summary: After reading Ian Fleming's descriptions of food and drink in his Bond books, I'm sometimes left with questions. This is my attempt to get to the bottom of those questions!





	1. Vesper Martini

**Author's Note:**

> For 007 Fest 2018; posting to AO3 for archiving purposes.

_Bond insisted on ordering Leiter’s Haig-and-Haig ‘on the rocks’ and then he looked carefully at the barman._

_'A dry martini,’ he said. 'One. In a deep champagne goblet.’_

_'Oui, monsieur.’_

_'Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?’_

_'Certainly, monsieur.’ The barman seemed pleased with the idea._

_'Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,’ said Leiter._

_Bond laughed. 'When I’m … er … concentrating,’ he explained, 'I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink’s my own invention. I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name.’_

_He watched carefully as the deep glass became frosted with the pale golden drink, slightly aerated by the bruising of the shaker. He reached for it and took a long sip._

_'Excellent,’ he said to the barman, 'but if you can get a vodka made with grain instead of potatoes, you will find it still better.’_

– _Casino Royale_ , by Ian Fleming

* * *

 

So, looking at the original version of Bond’s martini, and being someone who doesn’t know anything about cocktails, I’m left with a few questions:

**1) Why a deep champagne goblet instead of a martini glass?**

This may have been a simple matter of logistics. Martini glasses only held three ounces back in the day, and this is a big cocktail of four to five ounces. ([ x ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thespruceeats.com%2Fvesper-martini-recipe-760130&t=NjY3Y2M5MmI3OTEyNWVlNTIyOTIzYzFhZDZlYjM3NDU2MjIwZmZhNyxmRkRRRmJCWQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175622318407%2Fmeta-the-vesper-martini))

HOWEVER: It might also have been a taste thing. According to Science, “Different glass shapes and temperatures can bring out completely different bouquets and finishes from the same wine.” Apparently, wine glasses are better than martini glasses for “enjoy[ing] the wine aroma without interference of gaseous ethanol.” ([ x ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scientificamerican.com%2Farticle%2Fwine-snobs-are-right-glass-shape-does-affect-flavor%2F&t=NDQzYTAxYTkzYmI3NTA2MjQyZDNkM2I2ZjY1Y2M3MDZiMDAwNzBlOSxmRkRRRmJCWQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175622318407%2Fmeta-the-vesper-martini))

But Bond’s not drinking wine, so why would aroma be a factor?

This brings us to the lemon peel.

**2) Why the slice of lemon peel?**

When bartenders use lemon peel, they often do something called “expressing” it. Basically, they twist the peel in order to spray the fragrant citrus oils over the surface of the drink. This enhances the flavor and the smell, providing lemon taste without any extra sweetness. It especially influences the aroma of the cocktail. ([ x ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fvinepair.com%2Fwine-blog%2Fwhy-good-cocktail-bars-twist-your-citrus-peel%2F&t=YTdkMGVhMDE0ZWNiNGVlZGY5OWFlNjI1NmYzMzQ1MzdiZjViZDZlZSxmRkRRRmJCWQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175622318407%2Fmeta-the-vesper-martini))

Going back to the shape of the glass, it might be that the goblet shape actually conveys this lemon aroma better than the typical martini glass. I haven’t been able to find any studies on this, but someone should get a group together and do a taste test. :D

**3) Why grain vodka instead of potato vodka?**

Apparently grain-based vodkas are perceived as smoother, and can sometimes even have a slightly fruity quality, as compared to potato-based vodka. ([ x ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slate.com%2Farticles%2Flife%2Fshopping%2F2004%2F09%2Fhit_me_with_your_best_shot.html&t=MDBlMmQ0NTcwMjQ5Yzg5YWU2Mjk0YTY5ODdiYzQ0ZTJiNTk0NDJiNCxmRkRRRmJCWQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175622318407%2Fmeta-the-vesper-martini)) Perhaps this ‘fruitiness’ would complement the lemon peel?

Moreover, potato-based vodkas, especially cheaper ones, tend to have an oiliness that Bond may not have liked.

**4) Should it really be shaken instead of stirred?**

Bartenders have a lot of Opinions about this. Many say that shaking a clear drink like the Vesper martini sucks because it adds unnecessary bubbles, which changes the texture and makes it look ugly. The alcohol content is also lowered by volume due to the small amounts of added ice. 

Others point out that the drink gets chilled much faster when shaken, and that shaking dissolves the vermouth better and would disperse the oils from cheap potato vodka.

The slightly lower alcohol content of a shaken drink could potentially be advantageous (Bond trying to keep his wits about him while putting up a front of a "very strong" drink). However, given that an even easier way to keep his wits about him would be to not drink at all, or to simply order wine or beer, it seems likely that the minor dilution is simply a side-effect of Bond's preference for his drinks to be "very cold." Reading the excerpt from _Casino Royale_ , it seems like the drink’s cold temperature is more important to Bond than the drink’s aesthetic appearance (e.g., whether or not it has some bubbles), and if the shaking provides the added benefit of dispersing the oil from the potato vodka, so much the better. 

And that’s why Bond likes it shaken instead of stirred!  ([ x ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FShaken%2C_not_stirred&t=Y2ZjOTg3M2EzMzdiNDExMjMyMTYyMjliOGVjYjJhMzBhNTJlZWExMixmRkRRRmJCWQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175622318407%2Fmeta-the-vesper-martini))


	2. 'half an avocado pear with a little French dressing'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exploring Fleming's avocado dessert and the difference between American and European ideas about 'French dressing'

_The trouble always is,’ he explained to Vesper, 'not how to get enough caviar, but how to get enough toast with it.’_

_'Now,’ he turned back to the menu, 'I myself will accompany Mademoiselle with the caviar, but then I would like a very small tournedos, underdone, with sauce Bearnaise and a coeur d'artichaut. While Mademoiselle is enjoying the strawberries, I will have half an avocado pear with a little French dressing. Do you approve?’_

_–from_ Casino Royale (1953) 

* * *

In the  _Casino Royale_  book, Bond shares a meal with Vesper before the big game. She orders wild strawberries and cream for dessert; he says he wants half an avocado with French dressing. The book was published in 1953, and it would be six years later, in 1959, that the avocado was first available for purchase at Marks and Spencer in England. Fleming’s readers, particularly coming out of post-war austerity, would thus have seen Bond as an eater of exotic, luxurious foodstuffs. ([x](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fjamesbondmemes.blogspot.com%2F2013%2F04%2Fjames-bond-introduces-avocado-pear.html&t=YjAyYmUwZDgyMjMxNzlhMjliMmIyZDRiN2FjOTgwOGEyN2Q5NjE2ZCx4MkN0dW01QQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175433900457%2Fhalf-an-avocado-pear-with-a-little-french)) 

But what IS avocado with french dressing? 

If you are American, you probably think of French dressing as looking something like this: 

Typically, “French dressing” as it’s known in the U.S. is a combination of ketchup, mayonnaise or olive oil, vinegar, and other spices. It’s always got that distinctive orange/red color.

And like, you can put American French dressing on your avocado, go for it, no one’s stopping you. BUT, that might not be what Bond is eating in this scene. 

Fleming’s food often shows Francophile tendencies, and with this scene in particular, in which the menu is in French, it seems likely that Fleming is instead referencing a classic French avocado dish:  **Avocado Vinaigrette.**

> _Avocado Vinaigrette_  – Avocado; usually a half avocado served in its skin, with a vinaigrette dressing. ([x](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbehind-the-french-menu.blogspot.com%2F2015%2F06%2Fthe-avocado-pear-avocat-on-french-menus.html&t=N2Y4ODlmMTdhMTYwOTQwMWEyMDVmN2NkN2Q2ZTA2YjMwNzkzMmJkOCx4MkN0dW01QQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175433900457%2Fhalf-an-avocado-pear-with-a-little-french))

The half avocado bit even matches up! 

So how do you make avocado vinaigrette? Most recipes will very helpfully tell you to just slice the avocado longways, take out the pit, and fill the empty middle bit with “vinaigrette classique.” 

To clarify, vinaigrette classique is apparently: 

> The most well known of all French sauces or salad dressings.  The  original and traditional French dressing is olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic and herbs.  This is the dressing often just called a French dressing and that it is; it is also always better when tasted in France! ([x](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbehind-the-french-menu.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F04%2Fvinegar-and-verjus-on-french-menu.html&t=MjA3MDUwYTQ2ZWUwYmZhOWE2ODYwNDllMzNiZDkwNjg2NTk2OTJiMix4MkN0dW01QQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175433900457%2Fhalf-an-avocado-pear-with-a-little-french))

Aha! So this is the OTHER French dressing! 

A possible recipe for this more classic French dressing can be found [here](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.epicurious.com%2Frecipes%2Ffood%2Fviews%2Fbasic-french-vinaigrette-51183010&t=OTY1NDE3ZjI3ZTU1ZDI5NTYwYjkzNDcxNWVkMDlhNjFmMTE5NmYyYix4MkN0dW01QQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175433900457%2Fhalf-an-avocado-pear-with-a-little-french), but I also found a hundred variations on it, and surely the restaurant would have had its own “classique” version, so if you’re looking to recreate this savory ‘dessert’ from the book, you can pretty much go vinaigrette wild and do whatever floats your avocado’s boat. 

Just don’t use the version with ketchup. :P 


	3. BOAC's 'English country house breakfast'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bond complains a couple of times about BOAC's weird 'English country house breakfast,' but he never mentions what the hell it actually is. Let's investigate!

_"Breakfast came, that inappropriate assortment of foods that BOAC advertise as ‘An English country house breakfast’, and the chief steward came round with the US customs forms—Form No 6063 of the Treasury Department—and Bond read the small print: failure to declare any article or any wilfully false statement… fine or imprisonment or both and wrote Personal effects and cheerfully signed the lie."_ Diamonds Are Forever _, by Ian Fleming_  


_“James Bond, his stomach queasy from the BOAC version of an English country house breakfast. It was just 10 a.m. on a blue and golden late September morning and the BOAC Monarch Flight 505 from London had landed at Idlewild…”_   -- _“James Bond in New York,” by Ian Fleming_

* * *

What the hell is “An English country house breakfast”? 

You’re probably picturing what’s known as “The English Breakfast,” which is that plate full of eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, fried tomato, and fried bread.  

BUT, YOU ARE PROBABLY WRONG. 

The “English country house breakfast” is its own separate thing. There’s quite a lot of detail in [this book](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DPcHUAAAAQBAJ%26pg%3DPT42%26lpg%3DPT42%26dq%3Dwhat%2Bis%2Ban%2B%2522english%2Bcountry%2Bhouse%2Bbreakfast%2522%26source%3Dbl%26ots%3DkBftofbijM%26sig%3DFUwQ1JysbE12XBPKZvvuWXjJspw%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D0ahUKEwjv8MDkiJ3bAhUNv1MKHVR7CQkQ6AEIWjAL%23v%3Donepage%26q%3Dwhat%2520is%2520an%2520%2522english%2520country%2520house%2520breakfast%2522%26f%3Dfalse&t=ZTA1MDJhMGMwZjY2YWI3MTdjNDA5MTkwZDFmODAyOGM5OWEzMjdlNSxrNGxpTnpwOA%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175575485997%2Fbreakfast-came-that-inappropriate-assortment-of), but essentially: 

  * Breakfasts in England (for upper-crusties who could afford it and had the eponymous ‘English country house’) used to be a Huge Deal that could take hours. 
  * They included a game/poultry/fish course, hot meat dishes like sausage or bacon or cutlets, various egg dishes, cold meat dishes like sliced ham or game pie, toast and scones with various jams and butter, and often a simple fruit course to finish up.     
  * All of this stuff was either set out buffet style on big heated trays or served in courses. 
  * Basically, it was a ridiculously lavish spread with a heavy emphasis on meats and breads.



Moreover, getting into the context of the excerpt, this is NOT a historical “English country house breakfast” at all, it’s BOAC’s airliner version of one…a version that Bond’s quite scornful of. 

What could this “inappropriate assortment of foods” be? 

This is a BOAC ad from the 1960s that shows a similar aircraft to the one Bond would have been on: 

You can see it’s got fewer people/more leg room, and expectations for service were higher than they are today. [Bond’s Boeing 337 StratoCruiser type might even have had a cocktail lounge](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fflemingsbond.com%2Fb-o-a-c-stratocruiser%2F&t=YmY2ZjAwN2ViYTYwNDRkZmQ1Y2RhODgzMDVhMTMxNDdkN2VkNDE0NixrNGxpTnpwOA%3D%3D&b=t%3ANLCykc1JcZeW95L3GG4PmA&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcastillon02.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175575485997%2Fbreakfast-came-that-inappropriate-assortment-of). BOAC would have been balancing practicality and the appearance of luxury re: their meals. 

Check this pic of BOAC service in the 1960s! ACTUAL SILVERWARE. NO PLASTIC. MULTIPLE COURSES. Amazing. 

Looking at the historical breakfast list, my guess for BOAC’s version of the “English country house breakfast” would include 

  * an egg dish (guessing omelettes and/or boiled eggs because Bond totally would have commented if the eggs had been scrambled)
  * sausage, bacon, and/or steak 
  * kippers or some other breakfast fish (it seems risky to do seafood on an aircraft, what with the smell, but menus from the 1950s and 1960s show BOAC had no problem serving salmon/turtle soup/etc)  
  * perhaps a slice of meat pie or a mini meat pie (bonus: these would store easily and the heaviness might well be the reason for Bond’s queasiness) 
  * choice of fruit (which Bond would probs not take anyway lbr) 
  * and toast with jam and butter  



I also had the wonderful mox-nox-in-rem comment and point out that BOAC would probably also serve fried mushrooms, kidneys, and kedgeree, which I completely agree with. She also pointed out that, as opposed to the custom from the 1800s country house breakfasts, scones would be reserved for afternoon tea rather than eaten for breakfast. Thank you, mox! 

P.S. If anyone actually manages to find a pic of a 1960s BOAC breakfast menu, please share! I’d love to know how close my guess is. :D  

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm primarily using Internet resources, so I welcome input, feedback, and possible corrections on this material.


End file.
